Albemarle – opinion of Senior Guards Lieutenant Lisikova:
The British crown had given us an aircraft, an Albemarle, that had to be ferried back.
The Albemarle was a twin-engine transport and bomber manufactured by Armstrong Whitworth. It was propelled by two 14-cylinder two-row radial engines of approximately 1,500 hp each. The Royal Air Forced used it exclusively as a glider tug and special transport. Approximately 10 were delivered to the USSR.
But this was not an airplane—it was a disaster. When they were ferrying them to the USSR, one aircraft blew up 500 kilometers from the English coast, and Kulikov’s aircraft exploded 200 kilometers from Murmansk.
Didn’t they give us 24 of these?
Well, as a matter of fact, we later refused them. The aircraft was a piece of garbage, but it had outstanding engines. They mounted these engines on motor boats, you understand. On ships, on small ships, the kind that laid mines. They needed good engines.
This quotation can be found in the following Interview with her – now that’s my kind of woman!
http://lend-lease.airforce.ru/english/articles/lisikova/index.htm
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